I have to admit that I have been a bit lost in action which accounts for this post being a bit late. One of the projects which have been occupying my time, aside from flying back home to Canada from Ecuador, is a poetry project that happens every April. In the past, I have ended up producing three poetry books called the Naked Poetry Series. The covers for these books are seen above.
On Monday, when I should have posted here, I wrote the following poem called Meditation With Buddha. I took the photo first, then edited the photo. I want softer images that are based on reality. Yet the images must also evoke something more, something that rises above prosaic reality. Why? I intend on producing a poetry anthology of new and old poems which I hope are worth sharing. I want to continue using photos with the poems. I am using Kahlil Gibran’s book, The Prophet as an example of using images with poems. And like Gibran, the images are naturist in intent. So, now that you know what the intention is, here is the poem to go with the image.
Meditation with Buddha
intentions
taking the seat
legs folded
forearms resting on knees
eyes close
focused on the breath
a thought intrudes
the breath is forgotten
though the body holds still
the mind betrays the intention
wrestling with a return
to stillness
to mindfulness
is rewarded
as I follow
a new breath in
and then out
a passing cloud
and a stirring breeze
distracts
awakening
a monkey mind
that revels
in being released
all while Buddha
sits unperturbed
and silent
R.G. Longpré, April 8, 2019